


And Paris is Gray Again

by Ellohcee



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Friendship, platonic, sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-03-06 05:44:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13404687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellohcee/pseuds/Ellohcee
Summary: Adrien notices Marinette not feeling so well, offering to walk with her when she is excused from class.





	And Paris is Gray Again

**Author's Note:**

> Writing prompt #35 - Fever
> 
> This work can also be found on my tumblr here: https://ellohcee.tumblr.com/post/169826072963/for-the-umwriting-promts-what-about-fever

The clouds were thick above Paris, blocking the late morning sun from view and turning the world gray as rain pelted the earth, soaking everything. It was another in a string of stormy days that had been persistently hanging over them, going non stop most hours. It was this dark Thursday morning that Marinette sat through class in a daze, her face warm and her head feeling like it was stuffed full of cotton. She could barely focus on anything being spoken, while Alya gave her concerned side glances every so often. Time slipped in and out for her, and she had no idea what time it was or how long it had been since her eyes focused on the board up front.

Time passed at normal pace for the rest of the glass, and it was almost eleven when Adrien heard a soft thump behind him, and a concerned whisper from Alya. He turned in his seat to find Marinette with her head on her arms. He frowned in concern, but apparently he and Alya weren’t the only ones that noticed.

“Marinette, am I boring you?”

The accused party picked her head up quickly, immediately regretting the rushed action as her head swam nauseatingly. “No ma'am, I’m sorry.”

Mme. Bustier hummed thoughtfully and walked towards the seats before proceeding up to the second row. She leaned down over Marinette and stared at her intently, making the girl nervous from the close attention. The woman then reached out a hand, feeling Marinette’s forehead. “You have a fever. You should go home for today. Do you want to call your parents?”

“Ah- um, okay. But I really don’t need to bother them, I live just down the street,” Marinette protested softly, knowing one of them would come to get her without hesitation but not wanting to drag either of them over. “They’re working.”

Bustier clicked her tongue softly, but let the matter slide. “Well then, do you have an umbrella for the walk?”

“Umm, no, but it’s fine, really-”

“I have one, I can walk her there,” Adrien volunteered happily, bringing mixed reactions from certain parts of the class. Chloe looked downright scandalized, practically grinding her teeth against desire to say something. Alya looked absolutely pleased, folding her hands over the desk with a grin, and Marinette was just softly puzzled. It struck her that normally she might be freaking out that Adrien was offering to walk her home, but she was just too tired and sore to invest that kind of energy right now.

“Very well, you’re excused for the day Marinette. And Adrien, I expect you back within the hour, since you don’t have far to go,” Mme. Bustier instructed, walking back towards the front of the class.

“Yes ma'am,” Adrien replied, before turning to look at the girl behind him. “Ready to go?”

“Ah, yes,” Marinette replied, snapping out of her daze and quickly packing her things away. When she made another mistake of standing too abruptly, her head swam just a little, but it passed soon enough for anyone to notice. Marinette carefully made her way down the steps, half expecting Chloe to trip her out of pure spite over Adrien’s volunteering. Luckily there was no incident from Chloe under Adrien’s pertinent stare, and he guided Marinette out of the classroom. Once down the stairwell and outside the front of the school, Adrien popped open his umbrella and stepped closer to Marinette, holding it mainly over her.

As they walked down the front steps and proceeded towards the bakery, he noticed his friend was unusually quiet. _She must really not be feeling well._ He frowned. Usually Marinette was chattering with nervous small talk, but she was just… quiet. Her eyes were nearly closed so it was a wonder she could see what was in front of her, that flush in her cheeks worryingly red. When they arrived at the shop front connected to Marinette’s home, Adrien took a moment under the shop’s awning to close the umbrella and leave it propped against the wall, out of any passerby’s path.

Adrien pushed the door open and caused a small bell over their heads to jingle cheerfully while Marinette trudged inside. The inside of the bakery was warm and inviting, smelling of many delicious scents that Adrien couldn’t place but knew must taste amazing. Sabine looked up to greet who she thought was a customer but instead found her daughter, and the baker’s face turned worried as she moved around the counter. “Marinette, honey what are you doing home?”

“Um, good morning, the teacher excused her for the day, she’s not feeling well,” Adrien supplied, causing the woman to look at him.

“Oh, thank you so much for walking her home, that’s so kind of you! Your name was Adrien, right?” Sabine asked pleasantly, earning a shy nod from the boy. “I really appreciate you making sure she got home. Adrien, would you mind terribly waiting here for a moment while I get her to bed? I’ll be right back.”

As Sabine began to shuffle her daughter towards the house, Marinette looked blearily over her shoulder and offered a smile. “Thanks Adrien, see you tomorrow,” came her soft parting.

Adrien smiled back, happy to see a sign of her usual self despite his friend’s condition. “Bye Marinette, feel better.” As the two disappeared, the blonde stood in the bakery and looked around. He’d been through here before, but he’d never taken the time to really study it. Everything was neat and clean, the warm lighting illuminating a glass case full of beautifully decorated pastries. It made him feel welcome, it was a nice change from the depressingly huge and empty manor he was used to.

When Marinette’s mother returned, she bid Adrien to follow her. They walked shop front and into the part of the building that was their home, more specifically the kitchen. “Do you have to rush back to school, dear?” Sabine asked, opening a cupboard and taking a few items out to place on the counter.

“I’ve got nearly an hour still, but I don’t care to test Mme. Bustier’s patience,” he said with a chuckle.

“Alright then, I’ll make this to go,” Sabine hummed cheerfully, grabbing a disposable cup from a stack they used for the bakery. She grabbed some milk from the fridge and filled up the cup, placing it in the microwave. While the milk heated, Sabine grabbed a small square container and brought it over to Adrien. “I was going to give you some fresh baked croissants as thanks, but Marinette asked me to give you these,” Sabine said, opening the lid.

Adrien’s eyes widened in surprise to see a neat pile of small pastries, covered in a thin dusting of powdered sugar.

“These are the lemon jam squares she made by hand, she is the daughter of two pastry chefs after all,” Sabine laughed at the incredulous look on the boy’s face. She closed the lid and handed him the container.

“Wow, thank you,” Adrien said, carefully placing the box of pastries in his bag.

Meanwhile, Sabine took the steaming cup out of the microwave and open a jar of rich cocoa powder. She mixed in a generous spoonful and covered it with a lid, walking over to Adrien once more and handing it to him. “And take this too, it will warm you up on the walk back.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate it,” the blonde said with a smile. It never failed to amaze him how nice Marinette’s parents were, even upon the first meeting when they treated him so kindly without any reservation.

“No, I’m the one to be thankful, it was very kind of you to walk her home when she’s not feeling well,” Sabine said, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“It was no problem at all, I just wanted to make sure she got back safe,” he explained, cheeks going pink from the praise he was not used to. “Well, I’d better get going, thanks for the care package,” he added, smiling widely.

“You’re welcome, I hope you like it. Take care on your way back to class, alright?” Sabine asked, setting a hand on the boy’s shoulder as she walked him back out to the bakery.

“I will,” Adrien replied, waving as he left. The little bell above the door jingled once again, and he bent down to grab his umbrella. Adrien paused for a moment to open the container, picking up one of the pastries and taking a bite. It was fresh and soft, topped with a lemon custard and filled with strawberry jam in the center that made him melt on the spot.

“Woah,” he breathed in amazement. “This is fantastic,” he said to himself, taking a sip of the hot chocolate. It was rich and flavorful, running warm down his throat and leaving a trail of pleasant heat to his stomach. Adrien inhaled deeply and let it out as a sigh of pure content, opening the umbrella with a ‘wumph’ of displaced air and heading back to the school. The whole way back he pondered how to discreetly share the snacks with Nino and Alya without getting mobbed by the whole class.

\- - - -

Later that day after classes had ended and Adrien was home for the day, he found himself thinking about Marinette, how flushed her face had been and how tired she seemed. “Hope she’s okay,” he sighed, flipping the page in his text book. The sound of the rain drowned out all other outside noise beyond the walls of the mansion, turning into a pleasant white noise. Well, until the explosion.

Adrien looked out his window in shock, seeing a thin plume of smoke drifting towards the sky near the Eiffel Tower. “Aw man, while it’s pouring out? Come on! Plagg, transform me!”

“What?? While it’s raining??” Plagg cried out, the rest of his forming complaint cut off as he disappeared into the ring.

Chat Noir sprang from his normal window with all the usual grace, using his staff to launch over the main gate and across the city. His searching eyes found nothing as he carefully ran and jumped between slick rooftops, but once he got closer to the smoke, he stopped on a terrace to try to scope out the situation. Ladybug didn’t appear to be present yet, so he scanned the destruction for answers. A spot in the street had been decimated, the pavement cracked and crumbled. This was the source of the smoke, but he could find no trace of the presumed Akuma that caused it. Either that, or someone was just playing with explosives in the street. He was more hoping for Akuma.

A few minutes later as he was patrolling the area, he caught a flash of red. “You’re a little late there, LB,” he teased, seeing her come in for a landing. But when her feet hit the roof, Ladybug stumbled harshly and kept going in an attempt to correct herself, right for the edge. “Woah!” Chat called, darting out from the overhang and wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her towards himself and away from the edge. “Ladybug, are you okay? What just happened?” he breathed in shock, searching her pale face.

“Sorry, sorry,” she said, holding a hand to her head as she tried to control her uneven breathing. “I’m not feeling too good.”

Chat’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. “What, you too?”

“What?” Ladybug asked, glancing up at him.

“Um, nothing. Are you sure you’re up for it today?” the blonde asked, setting a hand on her forehead. “Even through my glove you’re burning up.”

“I’m fine, really,” she replied with a weak smile. “Besides, I have to purify the Akuma, they don’t take sick days Chaton,” she chuckled.

Chat’s frown increased, her jibe doing nothing to make him feel better about the situation. “Well, I guess we don’t have a choice about that. But try to take it easy, alright? Leave the heavy lifting to me and you take care of the Akuma once it’s time,” he insisted, setting a hand on her shoulder.

“Alright alright,” she relented softly, smiling at him. “Thanks Chat.”

He tried to smile back at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes, as all he could think about was Ladybug nearly stumbling off the building a moment ago. He was going to have his hands full trying to watch her and the Akuma at the same time.

Maybe this would be an easy one.

Yeah. Sure.


End file.
